1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pump; and more particularly, the present invention relates to a vertical in-line split coupled pump having a coupler that attaches a motor shaft to a pump shaft.
2. Brief Description of Related Art
In vertical in-line split coupled pumps that are known in the art, when the coupling (or coupler) is removed, both the pump shaft and the connected impeller drop to the bottom of the pump casing volute because there is nothing to support them. The coupling consists of two split coupler halves that each wrap almost half way around the pump and motor shafts and have bolts that hold the halves together such that they clamp onto the motor and pump shaft when tightened to carry the rotation from the motor to the pump during operation. The coupling has to be removed on a regular basis on these pumps to change the mechanical seal through the gap between the shafts as well as to do other maintenance operations, and then for reassembly, the pump shaft and impeller must be lifted back up to their original position to reassemble the split coupling. In the current known prior art design (e.g., see FIG. 1), a square section collar ring is located in a groove in the pump shaft that also fits into a groove in the coupling to support the shaft and impeller. To assemble the square section collar ring into the coupling groove, the pump shaft and impeller must first be lifted by some external means. Often a crow bar or some other external device is used to lift up the fallen pump shaft and impeller. Typically, this involves a two mechanic operation, where one mechanic uses the crow bar or other external device, while another mechanic reassembles the split coupling to reconnect the pump and motor shafts.
There is a need in the industry for a better and more efficient way to couple together the pump and motor shafts, so that the performance of regular maintenance operations that involve de-coupling and reassembling the pump and motor shafts does not necessarily require a two mechanics.